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THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[Setember i, 1903. 



THE RUBBER TRADE IN AKRON. 



BY A RESIDENT CORRESPONDENT. 



TO the Editor of The India Rubber World: The in- 

 creased use of automobiles has resulted in the rubber 

 companies placing the best talent at their command at work in 

 an effort to develop the best tires possible to be made. Every 

 manufacturer wants to place on the market a tire just a little 

 better than the other fellow, and the result is that the past 

 summer has seen several improvements over the tires formerly 

 manufactured. There is a keen rivalry between the manufac- 

 turers of automobile tires, and the manufacturers are spending 

 much money in calling the attention of the automobiling pub- 

 lic to their products. The recent across-the-continent trips of 

 Dr. H. N. Jackson and Tom Fetch have demonstrated that 

 Akron tires are well made, and now the makers of these par- 

 ticular tires are busy engaged in exploiting the feats of their 

 particular champions. The demand for tires of all kinds con- 

 tinues brisk, and the business in this line done by the rubber 

 manufacturers has far exceeded their most sanguine hopes. 

 In fact, the demand for tires has resulted in a summer season 

 without the usual accompanying slack period, an unprecedented 

 occurrence in the Akron trade. The manager of the shipping 

 department of one company, which makes a large portion of 

 the tires used in this country, states that his department has 

 been so busy it has been impossible for him to enjoy his an- 

 nual vacation, and men in like positions in other factories have 



had a similar experience. 



* * * 



There appears to be a tendency toward heavier automobile 

 tires this year, and local manufacturers are recognizing that 

 they must make their tires a little more substantial than in the 

 past. There seems to have been a pretty general disposition 

 among automobile manufacturers to equip their machines with 

 tires which were too light for the weight of the machine. Local 

 tire manufacturers are increasing the weight of all their auto- 

 mobile tires this season, from those intended for the big tour- 

 ing and racing cars to the little runabouts. Thev have suc- 

 ceeded in doing this without destroying the resilency of the 

 tires, but before this was done a great many experiments were 

 made. Most of the local manufacturers believe that the de- 

 tachable tire is bound to be the favorite with automobile own- 

 ers. They believe that the single tube tire is bound to be sup- 

 erseded by the detachable or "clincher," and that the time is 

 not very far distant when a great majority of the automobiles 

 in use will be equipped with the detachable tire. The recent 

 across-the continent trips are cited as instances of the dura- 

 bility and convenience of this style of tire, and almost every 

 manufacturer has a hundred reasons at his tongue's end as to 

 why the detachable is superior to the single tube tire. 



* # » 



Local rubber manufacturers are taking more than a passing 

 interest in the annual automobile endurance contest which will 

 be run from New York to Cleveland under the auspices of the 

 National Association of Automobile Manufacturers. It is real- 

 ized that automobile tires will get a pretty thorough test, and all 

 of the tire manufacturers in this city will see that their tires are 

 in the test. The announcement of Secretary Harry Unwin, of 

 the National Association, that the roads from Cleveland to New 

 York are in very bad shape for automobiling, being rough and 

 practically uncared for, makes it positive that the test will be 

 calculated to show the merits of the various tires on the mar- 

 ket, and Akron manufacturers are anxious to establish a repu- 

 tation for their goods along this line. The contest will also fur- 

 nish a chance for a comparison of the tires in use at present 



with those used in the contest of a year ago. Doubtless it will 

 be found that the improvements will consist largely in the in- 

 creased use of the detachable tire, heavier goods, and superior 

 compounds calculated to prevent the rubber from separating 

 from the fabric in case of slipping. 



* * * 



The Akron rubber* men held a clambake at Blue Pond park 

 on August 8, and it was one of the most enjoyable outings ever 

 given by Akron men interested in this business. The outing 

 was arranged by Mr. A. C. Squires and was under his personal 

 direction. In addition to the clambake there was a program 

 of sports which took up the greater part of the afternoon and 

 furnished much amusement. There was a cricket match be- 

 tween two teams composed of rubber men, and a wrestling 

 match. Music was furnished by the Goodrich band. 



One of the biggest picnics of the season was that of the em- 

 ployes of The B. F. Goodiich and American Hard Rubber com- 

 panies, on July 25, at Silver Lake. These two companies make 

 it a point to see that their employes have a good time at their 

 annual picnics, and in addition to furnishing prizes for the dif- 

 ferent sporting events, give their employes tickets to the 

 grounds, as well as street car tickets. Over 10,000 people were 

 in attendance at Silver Lake park, and the various sporting 

 events were thoroughly enjoyed. In the forenoon a game of 

 ball was played, resulting in a victory for the Goodrich team. 

 In the evening the big pavilion was filled with a merry crowd 

 of dancers until a late hour. 



Second only in size was the picnic which the Diamond Rub- 

 ber Co. gave their employes at the same park on August 1. 

 This outing was attended by about 4000 people and the after- 

 noon was spent in games and sports. The feature of the day 

 was the contest for queen of the picnic. Miss Mary Coppard, 

 who has charge of the telephone exchange at the plant of the 

 company, was the successful contestant and received a dia- 

 mond ring. The Diamond company also furnished their em- 

 ployes with transportation and admission to the grounds. 



# * * 



Akron rubber manufacturers will be well represented at the 

 big carriage shows the coming fall. The Goodrich, Diamond, 

 Goodyear, and Firestone companies have secured space at the 

 Boston show, which opens September 1, and some of the com- 

 panies will be represented also at Philadelphia and Cincinnati. 



The rubber belting business continues to be very good. The 

 demand for rubber belts has never been exceeded, and even 

 during the slack season the rubber companies which make a 

 specialty of thisclass of goods were kept busy supplying orders. 



L. E. Housley and E. L. Rettig. of the Boston branch of The 

 Diamond Rubber Co., have been in Akron for several days buy- 

 ing goods for the establishment of a rubber store in Seattle, 

 Washington. They will deal in mechanicals, tires, and a gen- 

 eral line of rubber goods. 



Mr. W. B. Miller, secretary of The Diamond Rubber Co., 

 has returned home from an eastern business trip. Mr. A. H. 

 Noah, treasurer of the company, has also returned from a two 

 weeks' outing at Star Island. 



For the first time since their organization The B. F. Good- 

 rich Co. have had an employe arrested for petit larceny. Wil- 

 liam Thompson is the man who developed too great an appre- 

 ciation of the products of the company, and after pleading 

 guilty to the charge he was fined by Mayor Kempel. Thomp- 

 son's room near the plant was searched by detectives after he 

 had been suspected of taking the goods, and enough was found 

 to stock a small rubber store. He could have been charged 

 with grand larceny, but the company did not care to punish 

 him further. 



